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30 June 2010

If you haven't already heard the great news, I BOUGHT A PUPPY! I'd been talking about getting a dog since about March, but the timing just wasn't right then. I'm not 100% sure the timing is right right now either, but oh well. She was just too good of a deal to pass up! Here's mine and Brooklyn's (the puppy) story:

Late Sunday night I was randomly looking for puppies on Craigslist. Usually all that I find dog-wise on Craigslist are chiuahuas, pitbulls, or lab mixes of some kind, so I wasn't super hopeful. However, on that night I saw a posting for a female maltipoo. I'd been wanting a mini-poodle mix of some kind for a while, but they are really expensive to get straight from a breeder. For those of you who don't know, a maltipoo is a cross between a miniature poodle and a maltese, which was perfect for what I was looking for. So, I replied to the posting, hoping for the best. You never know with Corpus Christi Craigslist...

I heard back from the owner early the next morning. The puppy was still available and she wanted to show her to me that night. So after work, my girlfriends, Aubrey and Sarah, and I all went to the island to go check out this puppy.My friends and I felt super comfortable because the house we went to was in a very nice area and once we met the sweet woman that was selling this puppy, I knew we were good to go. Disclaimer: If you EVER go meet someone about a Craigslist deal, you take a buddy with you. Personal rule:)

Once I saw this little fuzzball, I was sold! She ran out of the laundry room she'd been sleeping in, just sliding around and tripping over herself in excitement to meet new people. She only weighs 1.7lbs (please Luke, don't step on her!) and is about 2 months old. She's a panda maltipoo because of her black and white coloring. The owner sold her to me for what she had originally paid (which is significantly less that what she's really worth), plus she gave me everything she'd bought for the puppy: a coller, leash, puppy food, heartworm medicine, a travel crate, and food and water dishes. I have papers on her and she's already had her first shots too! See? Good deal:) The only reason they had to get rid of this puppy was because the woman works all day and her 10-year-old daughter just wouldn't take the responsibility of training the puppy. It really worked out well for both parties.

Needless to say, I'm in love! Look at this face...

{On her way to Camp Zephyr for the first time!}

{About to take Brooklyn to her new home}

{Daddy meeting and falling in love with Brooklyn for the first time}

In other news, life's going well. Aubrey and I have decided we're going to "explore" Corpus Christi to the best of our ability while we're young and live here. We eat at random restaurants we've never tried, shop at cute stores, and go out to fun places. Here's a picture from this past weekend:

{Sarah, Aubrey, and I on our way out to Bombay}

Prepping for Hurricane Alex has been interesting since I've never lived on a coast like this before. The most precaution I took was to gas up my car. Aubrey and I had a "hurricane party" that consisted of chip-n-dip and pizza bagel bites. I know, super unhealthy, but who cares?? It was an all-you-can-eat hurricane party:)

23 June 2010

I was thinking about my blog today and realized that I talk about my fiancé, Luke, a ton, but I've never really introduced him to my bloggersphere. So, let me tell you a little more in depth about this incredible man.

When you first meet Luke, he's going to be pretty shy. It's not that he's not excited to meet you. It's just that he's quiet at first. Luke can actually be extremely loud and goofy. He's usually like this in his element or when he's in a place that he feels very comfortable.

One thing that I find very attractive about Luke is that he is a phenomenal leader. The summer is Luke's busiest time of the year at work because he is the staff supervisor and also works in guest services at a Christian camp, Camp Zephyr. Both guests to the camp and the staff he runs rant and rave about him. Just tonight I was talking to one of his staffers out at camp and this person said to me, "Luke is doing a great job. He is such a good leader." When I watch him interact with people out at camp, it astounds me. He is so selfless, always trying to find a way to serve someone else. And for the most part, he does it with a smile. The only time I ever hear this man complain is when we're alone and he's usually just letting off steam from a long week and stress. He is such a great example to me of how to work hard and to give all of yourself to serving God.

Luke has the biggest heart I've ever seen in anyone. Now--don't get me wrong--my man is ALPHA MALE; all things big, bad, tough, and macho. But when it comes down to anything personal or something that means a lot to him, I get to see his amazing heart. It's like having the best of both worlds. In relation to his heart, He is (God bless him) the most patient man I know. That boy waits for me to get ready to go out without bothering me, he listens to me talk for forever about anything, and when I'm a b-word (yup, I said "b-word"), he is quick to forgive.

My man is super adventurous! Growing up in a house of all girls, there wasn't too much adventure or risk. I didn't play with guns or ride on motorcycles. Luke did both as a young bot A LOT. I never knew how to shoot a paintball gun or how to remotely play a video game. Luke has mastered both. I love this about him though, because I know life with him is going to be so fun! A little dangerous? Probably:) But I feel so safe with him and I know that he'll take care of me. I'm excited for the adventures he and I will go on together.

Someone once said something about mine and Luke's relationship that I think will stick with me forever. I say this, both because what was said was so meaningful and because I want Luke and I to always be this way. This person said, "I love to see Luke and Sara interact with each other. They always have each others' backs. If Sara is down, Luke is picking her up. If Luke is down, Sara is picking him up." I love this. Many people don't understand mine and Luke's relationship or think that we're really different. Well, we are. And we know this. But we're better people for it in the end. We push and grow each other in really cool ways and drive each other bonkers too! It keeps it fun:)

21 June 2010

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" -Romans 8:28-31

I start out with these verses to remind myself as I write this post.

I've just been feeling very defeated lately. In my defeat, I try to be sarcastic and funny. But I'm just so tired of trying to keep up these days. There's nothing really in particular that I can pinpoint that is making me feel this way. It's like a million little things; too many to list. It's kind of like one of those terrible-horrible-no good-very bad-days where one thing after another just seems to knock you down. Except for multiple days now. Uggh!

When you feel like this, what do you do? I need help. I'll take any suggestions you've got.

Last night when I was at dinner with Luke and his best friend, Jay, something profound was said. Jay works at the Corpus Christi Athletic Club as a swim coach. He coaches a team, but also teaches swimming lessons. Jay made the comment that all parents think their kid is the next Michael Phelps or Michael Jordan. Parents will put their 3 year olds in a week long swim lesson and expect them to be swimming laps like a champ 7 days later. Some children are talented yes, but not all of them are meant to swim like Michael Phelps. And to take it a step further, not all of them will succeed in exactly what their parents think they should. Hmm...take a second and chew on that one parents.

I have been very blessed in my life that I have a mother and a father who love me and have taught me to always give any endeavor 100%. As a child, I wasn't ever allowed to give any piece of homework, or a test, or a basketball game any less than my all. Study hard, practice hard, work hard = being the best. As I went off to college, I still had this mentality built in to me, but things began to change. As one of 14,000 students, I didn't necessarily have to be "the best" in school, because I wasn't chasing after a valedictorian status. Rather yet, I was just trying to do the best that I could for me. In Tri Delta, I guess I could have pushed myself harder to be a more influential leader, but I had a great time serving on smaller committees, being the VP of PR for one year, and building relationships with amazing girls. I loved college, but it was very different from junior high or high school where I joined every organization and made a 4.0. And I must say, it was more enjoyable.

Now, I'm an adult. A grown-up. P.S. What does this mean anyway?? I'm old? Well, bite me person that came up with this lame title for college graduates. What if I don't want to be called a grown-up? Anyway...I have a job. I'm getting involved in my new community. I'm searching for a new church. I'm decorating a new apartment. And I'm no longer a 16 year old in high school. I know this may sound a little soap-box-ish, but I need for the adults in my life to back off. I feel like every time I am with a new group of adult family members, I get questioned about my life. For example:

Family Member: What are you doing with your life Sara?Me: I'm working and really loving living in Corpus Christi. Just trying to get settled in.Family Member: Well, when are you going to law school?Me: Not right now. Maybe never. I don't know, I'm just not passionate about it.Family Member: Well, when are you going to find a real job?Me: I have a real job.Family Member: When are you getting a promotion?Me: Well, I just starting working a month ago, so probably not anytime soon.Family Member: Well, how are you going to afford a new house, children, their college, retirement?Me (thinking): WHO THE HELL CARES ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW?! WTH?!?!Me: Well, the job that I took was the one that presented itself and I'm actually really enjoying it. If something else comes along down the road and I feel God calling me there, then I'll take this new job.Family Member (sounding defeated and disappointed): Alright...

Ok, people. I know that I was in NHS, SNHS, SCOPE, band, basketball, volleyball, color guard (unfortunately, ha!), and was a straight A student in high school, PLUS I was in Tri Delta, Student Government, and many honor societies in college. And please don't get me wrong, I want to be involved as an adult and I always want to be a driven person that pushes herself to be the best, but what is so wrong about young people just enjoying their lives? I love my job. I love my new city. I love being closer to Luke. I love my new apartment. I just don't understand why so many people in my life cannot be happy that I'm happy. If I was flipping burgers at McDonalds and was loving it, I would hope that people could just be happy for me.

In the end, God is not going to care what job I did down here on earth. What He is going to care about is how I gave my all to serve Him and His people. And I know He wants me to be happy, whatever I'm doing.

Just so all of the punk "adults" in my life know: I'm still the same driven person I've always been. I want to do more school eventually. No, I won't be in sales for the rest of my life. I still have dreams and goals. In fact, I'm living them right now:) So get over it and quit asking me so many damn questions. Thank you very much. Oh yeah, and 23 years olds aren't supposed to be making $75,000 right our of college, FYI.

13 June 2010

Anyone else loving Blogger's new page design elements? I'm not a graphic designer by trade, so I LOVE that blogger is making it so much easier for me to have a cool looking blog page:)

Anyhoo, I had a very relaxing and decorative weekend. If you've ready my blog lately, you may have noticed that I'm trying to slowly decorate my new apartment. I have furniture of course, but I really want to try to make my apartment modern and stylish on a (tight) budget. I'm not quite sure how to do this, but I have patience, creative friends that are offering great advice! This weekend I bought a papasan chair frame that a friend of mine pointed out to me on craigslist. The girl was selling it for $10, but I haggled her down to $5! I was especially excited about this because these chair frames sell for $80 at Pier 1. I bought a green papasan cushion for the chair and an amazing magenta down pillow (on sale!) thus beginning my color pallet for the living room. This was just the start/success I needed. Here's a picture of my cute new chair and pillow!

{Sorry its not the best quality pic. Gotta love the iPhone!}

This weekend was also wonderful because I got to spend a good amount of it with Luke! Even though we're living within an hour of each other now, it's tough to spend a lot of time together since its the summertime and it is at this time of the year that Luke sells his soul to Camp Zephyr. Don't get me wrong, I love this ministry more than any other (I've spent the last 4 summers of my life there), but it takes my fiance away for 3 months out of the year. This weekend, we just lounged around. I "rented" from my apartment (they have a whole library of movies you can rent for free!) Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and Jumper. We watched them both. We also laid out by my pool and went grocery shopping. P.S. Corpus Christi has the most amazing HEB Plus on Saratoga. I know that all of you who already know of this are agreeing with me right now. It's like the TajmaHEB in Waco, but BETTER! Tough to imagine, but true. Luke needed a couple of things for camp and I picked up a couple of essentials, including chocolate chip cookies that Luke insisted I bake for him immediately once we got back to my apartment:) But I didn't mind, because he bought me these:

{My second dozen in a week and a half! He's the best:)}

HEB Plus has an incredible floral section; you can even have floral arrangements sent to people from there. Call me a small town girl, but I've never lived in a place where an HEB would do such a thing. I'll never go to another HEB in town!

Back to decorating my apartment: I've also bought a couch slipcover for my couch. It's chocolate brown and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. There's so much brown in my living room already with the wooden end tables, entertainment center, etc. I may return it and get a navy blue one. I'm going to think about it for a day or two and then decide. I'm also working on some wall decor. I need to print a couple of mine and Luke's engagement pictures to hang on the walls and I really want to buy a piece of art! There are a ton of local artists in the area, so I just need to find a favorite and buy an original. I know exactly where I want to put it too, so be looking for more pictures soon!

Alright, I know I've rambled on and on about nothing, really, but I don't have much to say. Life is good, work is good. I'm a happy girl:) I hope you all have a blessed week!

07 June 2010

I've prayed for someone like you! You know you love that old K-C and Jojo song:)

This blog post actually has nothing to do with that song except for the fact that it's all about my life at this moment. Here's a little update on what's been going on:

This past weekend, my dad turned 50! Woohoo!!! I got to go home on Saturday afternoon and hang with the fam. On Sunday morning, my dad's actually bday, my sister Emily and I sang in church for dad as part of his bday gift. After that, the 6 of us (mom, dad, and the 4 girls) all went out to eat for dad's bday celebration. Since it was his special day, he picked BBQ, of course! Dad opened presents too. He got a new pair of tennis shoes, some cologne, and some truck accessories for his NEW TRUCK! Yup, for his bday dad is getting a new truck! Well, used, but new to him. You see, my papa loves to work out on his ranch and his old truck just isn't cutting it anymore. I'm not quite sure it even goes into reverse (gee whiz). It just can't take hauling hay or cattle anymore. So, dad is getting a new ranch truck. Yay dad! Overall, it was a good short trip home.

{Mom, Claire, and Becca at lunch}

{Dad, me and Em. Of course, dad's not looking:)}

Today was a good Monday, but it was a little slow at work. So, while I was on my lunch break, I decided to take a couple of pictures for you all to see what a beautiful city I am now living in. These pictures were taken right around where I work!

{I work on Peoples Street}

{I LOVE palm trees! And there's about a million in Corpus}

{I love to walk down the bay front, past the marina, and look at the boats}

I've also taken a few pictures in my office so I can show my family and friends that don't live close enough to visit how cute my office is. Let's just say it's blue, green, and yellow. Come on, how cute is this! I love working in such a fun atmosphere!

{My desk. Yes, those are my flip flops to the right, ha!}

{The cool sun on my wall. No worries, it lights up for party purposes}

{McLeod graphic design, none of which is my own}

{Cuteness minus the dolly}

{I love wicker}

{Welcome to McLeod Creative, home of The One Bride Guide. Stop by and visit us sometime!}

Ok, I know, I showed you LOTS of pictures. But I just like it so much and feel so blessed to get to be a part of all of the creativity at McLeod Creative:):)

New project: I'm currently working on making my apartment more modern and cute. Do these two words go together? I don't know. I wish I had my interior design roomie, Catherine Dykes, here to help me. I've been looking through the 2010 IKEA magazine and, no worries, I have a plan to TEAR. IT. UP. I also love pictures, so I'm working on finding/creating/painting some picture frames and possibly painting a canvas or two. I'm not one to be very good at house decorating, but I'm taking this as a good challenge and lesson to learn before Luke and I tie the knot someday. Once I've made some progress, pictures will be posted!

I'm going back to watching You've Got Mail now. This movie makes me miss New York so much! I never thought I'd actually say that, but I do. Time to plan my next trip!

04 June 2010

The last two days have been great! Yesterday, work was super productive and I had two great meetings with clients. After work, I got a french manicure and a color change on my toes. Hot pink, of course. It's summertime! Then for dinner, my friend Claire came over to the apartment and we cooked/ate the best baked potatoes ever while watching So You Think You Can Dance. My college roommate, Cat, got me totally hooked on this show last season, so Claire and I had to watch it. That was my Wednesday:)

But todaywas even BETTER! Luke was given the day off from camp, so he came into town to run errands and hang out with me. He came by my new office and I got to show him around. He loved it and the cool atmosphere. Then he took me to lunch at one of my new favorite places in town, Agua Java. Luke and I both got the Monterrey Panini and Arnold Palmers. After lunch, I had to go back to work, but I gave Luke the key to my apartment so that he could go chill out and watch TV.

It was our plan to meet up at my apartment after I got off of work so that we could decide on a dinner location and which movie we wanted to see at the theater. However, Luke ended up "running errands" around the same time I was getting off work, so we decided to just meet at Freebirds for dinner. Yes, Freebirds' newest franchise just opened in Corpus Christi!!! Dinner was awesome and then we headed back to the apartment to drop off my car and decide on a movie. I was the first one in the door and when I opened it, I saw...

HOW COOL IS THIS?! Luke hadn't been "running errands," earlier, he'd been cooking up this little surprise for me! Besides the rose petals and a dozen roses in a vase, he wrote me a really sweet card. This surprise was so perfect and soneeded after the last couple of weeks. I think I hugged and kissed Luke for about 15 minutes straight after this:) Then we picked up the petals, ha! I didn't have a cute container big enough to hold all of them, so they ended up in a couple of different bowls from my kitchen and some weird shaped basket.

I love roses, surprises, and Luke. Especially the latter:)

After the roses surprise and a little bit of research, we ended up deciding on Prince of Persia for our date night movie. I wasn't so sure that I was going to like it, but Luke reassured me that among all of the sword fighting was a love story and it was actually pretty good! I liked the plot and the lead actor was super cute. If you're up for a sword fighting, mystical dagger, sands of time, romance between a prince and a princess kind of movie, check it out!

All in all, today was fabulous. I feel so incredibly blessed and just flat out happy. I could go on and on about this, but I think you get the picture. I hope everyone's week is going well. And even better, tomorrow is Friday! Yay for the weekend!!

01 June 2010

It's been a couple of weeks since I last blogged, and with good reason. I've had nothing nice to say. Between postponing the wedding, moving my life to Corpus (along with all of the crap I've accumulated over the past 23 years), taking a new job, dealing with the crazy/psychotic people in my life (if you're thinking "who?" when you read this line, its probably you), and adjusting to my new life, I've been a little really emotional. I know what you're thinking. Sara...emotional?? You'd of never guessed, right? ;)

I've begun many posts and finished a couple, but none of them were really web worthy. They either said to many hateful things about the people in my life driving me to drink (not literally of course...well... whatever) or about the way I struggle with change. I do. But I also know from experience that adjusting takes time. I may have never been good at it, but I do know that eventually things begin to settle in. I think I'm beginning to feel the settling and it feels nice.

For a week or so I had been sleeping on the couch in my living room because I didn't have any bedroom furniture. My college furniture was left in my college house because Claire will be moving in this next year. However, she also moved home for the summer and is sleeping on the bed in the guest room. SO, guess who had no furniture when she moved into her new apartment? Yup, me:) However, my Nana so graciously after a good battle with my mother decided to share a few of the many pieces of bedroom furniture she had just lying around her old house. I am now the proud borrower of a bed, long dresser, tall dresser/shelf thing, two bed-side tables, two bedroom lamps, two end tables, two living room lamps, and a floor lamp. Whew.You think it was hard to type all of this? You should have been here to haul it up three floors to my apartment without an elevator. I'm not quite sure my dad's gotten off of the couch since, ha!

Work is going really well. I love my office and the people I work with. It has taken a little over a week, but I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of things. I have many meetings with clients over the next few weeks (sounds cool, right?) and I love that I get to meet so many cool people on a daily basis. I got to buy new office supplies for myself last week, which was AWESOME because it was like buying school supplies, but BETTER because I didn't have to pay for them. My desk is officially organized to my liking and my new business cards came in. I know I sound so cheesy when I talk about it, but I'm still just really excited about having a job and the opportunity to take the next step towards a career.

I've also made a list of the many things I love about living in Corpus Christi:
1) My cute 1 bd/1bth apartment
2) My 10 min. drive to work
3) I work in the coolest office/atmosphere in CC
4) The awesome people I work with
5) Having a Starbucks, HEB, and Target within 30 seconds of where I live
6) Nuevo Cafe, Hester's, Agua Java, Tango Tea Room, Five Guys, Freebirds, P.F. Changs, and Cheddar's
7) Having the beach for a backyard
8) Wearing flip flops to work
9) Being able to lay out with my best friends because they live one street over and a few streets down
10) Camp is a 50 min. drive from where I work which in turn means I get to see Luke on a regular basis
11) Runs on the bay front
12) The chill attitude of South Texas
13) Being able to eat my lunch down by the marina on a sunny day and people watch
14) Discovering the many cool places to shop downtown (who knew??)
15) I know there are many others, but I'm tired. More to come!

Well, this is about as nice of a post as I can bare. You're lucky I'm not screaming and yelling still, the way I have in the previous posts I've written that will never be published. I hope everyone is having a nice start to this beautiful summer. It's about to get unbearably hot down here in good ol' South Texas, but I don't give a damn. This is why I moved down here, because it's where I'm from, what I know, and all I'm looking for right now. God is good and I can always make more lemonade. That's what we're supposed to do when life's hands us lemons, right?

-Sara

P.S. The new background is in honor of moving to and starting somewhat of a new life in South Texas:)